1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver management apparatus, a driver management method, and a storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for managing a device driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional method, in a device-client environment in which a device, such as a printer, and a client terminal apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a “client” where necessary) are in communication with each other via a network, a driver compliant with the device is installed on the client.
More specifically, in the conventional method, when the device connected to the network sends a network entry message to the network, the client on the network installs a driver for the device in response to the network entry message.
Furthermore, the client installs the driver according to a reply from the device to a network entry message sent to the network upon connecting to the network. The conventional method like this is implemented, for example, by Universal Plug and Play (UPnP™) protocol of Microsoft® Corporation, Web Services for Devices (WSD), or the Rendezvous function of Apple® Inc. (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-38956).
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-66091 discusses a method for preventing installation of a driver unnecessary to a user on a client. In the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-66091, a client includes a module for controlling a setting related to whether to accept UPnP. Furthermore, the client determines whether to install the driver for the device connected to the network according to the setting.
However, in the above-described conventional method, the device and the client in communication with each other using a one-to-one search protocol bypass a server and directly send and receive information between them about whether a driver can be installed. Accordingly, in this case, the server cannot centrally manage processing for installing the driver on the client.
In this regard, the above-described problem may be solved by introducing a server. However, if a server is merely provided, a network entry message is sent to both the client and the server. In this case, the server cannot manage the network entry message sent to the client. Thus, the above-described problem cannot be solved with this conventional method.
Meanwhile, the above-described server and the device each have various functions. More specifically, the server can include a pseudo UPnP function and the device can include a remote setting function for the UPnP function.
However, it is very difficult or impossible to install a driver while responding flexibly to such functions.